Wednesday 3 June 2015

EFCC interrogates Ifeanyi Ubah over alleged subsidy scam

EFCC interrogates Ifeanyi Ubah over alledged subsidy scam 
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) interrogated the chairman of Capital Oil, Ifeanyi Ubah, for seven hours on Tuesday. June 2, 2015, over an alleged N43.291 billion fuel subsidy scam.
He was helping the commission with its investigations at the time of filing this report.



The EFCC arrested Ubah in the early hours of Tuesday, and the commission’s spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, confirmed the arrest to newsmen soon after.
A source, who spoke in confidence, said: “His company was implicated in the scandal by the Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede-led 15-man presidential panel, which re-investigated the fuel subsidy bazaar.
“We had earlier invited Ubah for interrogation but when he did not honour the invitation, we decided to arrest him. If nothing is found against him or his company, we will set him free. But if he has a case to answer, we will charge him to court.”
The Special Fraud Unit (SFU) of the Nigeria Police, in October 2014, had arrested Ubah on a similar allegation.
Based on SFU’s application, a Magistrate’s Court in Lagos State remanded him in custody of the SFU, Lagos, over the alleged scam.
Also charged and remanded with Ubah were the company’s head of trading, Nsikan Usoro, 35; depot manager, Godfrey Okorie, 41; general manager, Chibuzor Ogbuokiri, 48; and executive director (operations), Orji Anayo, 46.
The case was moved to a Federal High Court, where Ubah was cleared of the indictment by the Aig-Imoukhuede Committee.
Similarly, the coast is now clear for the EFCC to arraign three other suspects for alleged N1.4billion fuel subsidy scam.
Justice Olusumbo Goodluck of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Jabi, Abuja, has given the EFCC the go-ahead to prosecute Helyn Aninye, Chizobam Ben-Okafor and Pon-Specialised Services Limited.
Uwujaren said: “The judge struck out their application asking the court to decline granting the EFCC leave to arraign them for fraud, forgery and conspiracy to obtain the sum of N1.413,507,951.50 from the Federal Government of Nigeria by false pretence as subsidy under the Petroleum Support Fund.
“Justice Goodluck, in her ruling, affirmed that at this stage, there is no requirement to consider facts before the court; what is needed is to determine if a prima facie case against the accused persons is established.
“‘I am of the view that the proof of evidence suggests elements of forgery and obtaining by false pretences and I, therefore, overrule the objection of the accused persons and hereby grant leave to prosecution to prefer charge against them.’
“The accused persons were said to have ‘on or about March 3, 2011 at Abuja within the Jurisdiction of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, with intent to defraud, conspired to obtain money under false pretence from the Federal Government of Nigeria under the Petroleum Support Fund.’
“The offence, according to the charge sheet, is contrary to Section 8(a) and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act No 14 of 2006.
“They were to be arraigned on November 26, 2012 but this was scuttled as their counsel, Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), challenged the application of the prosecution seeking the leave of the court to prefer charges against the accused persons.
“He argued that the proof of evidence did not disclose any offence against the suspects and urged the court to refuse the application. But, prosecution counsel, Steve Odiase, told the court that the proof of evidence supports the 18-count charge.”
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